Set Review: 8727 Toa Jaller
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 at 10:20am by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Darnzerf]
Today we bring you our second Toa Inika review. BZPower Blog Assistant and BS01 Wiki Staff Darnzerf has taken the time to go over Toa Jaller in all the detail you've come to expect in a BZPower review. Is this Toa of Fire the right Inika for you? Read on to find the answer to that question and many others!
Wow. Just wow. We’ve waited for so long just for these few days. The coming of the Toa Inika. They are popping up like crazy now, and people are buying them so fast that even Shop@Home is backordered. This is an entirely new breed of Toa. They have newer, more complex designs than the other Toa, making the Piraka seem simple. The little Matoran from MNOLG I & II are all grown up now.
THE BOX
The the most superficial part of any LEGO product, but the one that often determines whether or not the set is a success or failure.
Before I get to the Captain of the Guard and Leader of the Inika though, I need to point out the price of Inika. You already know the prices from ToM’s review. They are indeed a little expensive. Hopefully, they will decrease in time, but they are worth it.
All I have to say is that the can is gigantic. We expected the canisters to be big, but THIS big? It’s crazy! You might first notice Jaller’s picture. A good pose, if I do say so myself. With a lightning background and broken fence around the sides, this is a real eye-catcher for both Bionicle-fans and anyone else walking past the Lego section.
Now, the sides of the can. You might have heard around the forums that the can sides are thin. Well, yes they are, but they are still a little wider than the Piraka cans. The sides say “BIONICLE” and have a picture of Voya Nui.
The back of the package is similar to a Piraka’s can, containing all the same warnings and cautions. In addition, there is a picture of Jaller’s full body, shooting a Zamor Sphere. It shows how to shoot it, and also shows how to light up his sword. The back also shows a picture of Voya Nui. Above Voya Nui is a picture of how to fit Jaller into his can. On the right are miniature pictures of the other Toas’ heads.
The top is rather interesting. It has a compartment that stores the four Zamor Spheres and the weapon. It’s two parts. One is the base of the storage, and one is the top of it. So the Zamor Spheres and weapon aren’t really inside the canister. You’ll see what I mean next.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
So you've bought it and taken it home (or at least made it to the car), punched the perforated tabs and dump out the contents. What do you get for your money?
So what exactly IS in the box? Dirt? Is it Waldo? Or just pieces? If you picked the first two, you’re in for a disappointment.
There are plenty of pieces in the set. 46 to be exact. From the picture given, you can see several pieces. The sphere-like green-white head really stands out. You can also see the Zamor “magazine”, along with transparent pieces. If you’re a MOCer, these pieces will definitely help you out. If you’re not, you can still look at the design of the pieces. As I said earlier, you’ll see what I meant by a compartment. The top fits onto the base, covering the spheres and sword.
THE BRICKS
Here's where we start to cut to the heart of the matter. You didn't buy this box for all the glossy booklets & creative artwork. You want to know about the LEGO bricks & bits that are included, and what (if any) new & interesting parts you'll find inside. Here's also where I'll talk about any new and/or interesing pieces that you will encounter.
What exactly are the bricks? Well, there are many new pieces in the set. All of them are used. No leftovers. From the picture, you can see a lot of pieces:
And more; too many too list.
Here are the transparent pieces, in all their shiny glory. Jaller's transparent pieces are the darker trans-orange found in the 2004-5 Alpha team sets. I personally like the transparent pieces added to the set. It gives Jaller some unique-ness as the Toa Inika of Fire.
The body parts, well, most of them anyway (excluding the transparent pieces). The big gold piece is the chest armor. The feet are the spiked ones. In the bottom-right corner are the lower legs. Next to them on the bottom is the thigh armor. Above them is the shoulder armor. The actual body is to the right of the feet, and to the right of the body is the one and only Kanohi Calix.
You can see the new ball joint, which is used for connecting the neck to the head. On the left is his sword, which when blinking for 15 seconds, gives off a green light. You can also see the different shades of the Zamor Spheres, all in all green. There is also the Inika head. It’s like no other Toa head. It starts with a shade of green on the top, and gradually becomes white at the bottom.
BUILDING EXPERIENCE
What can you expect while putting this model together?
So what is Jaller like? He is fun on two legs. I actually enjoyed building Jaller. He’s a simple straightforward set. Yet some of the techniques used to make him are, well, genius. Unlike other Toa sets, Jaller and his team of Toa have no gear functions. The gears are replaced with the light-up sword, and the Zamor Sphere/Launcher. Also of note is that Jaller is the only Toa Inika with spiked feet and the sleeker armor.
Unlike previous Toa sets, the back is actually covered, not just some blank space showing the inside. Here is also a clear visual of the way the neck connects to the head. This is one of the parts of the set I thought was interesting. The Calix fits perfectly on the head. Just slip it on, and bam, it’s done. Unlike the Suletu however, the Calix clips onto the chin of the head.
Unfortunately, there are no combiners in the instruction for the Inika. However there is Toa Jovan, built with parts of the Inika. Look out for instructions on Bionicle.com.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
So you've got the model together, but is it more like playing with a block of wood or an interactive toy?
Jaller is fun to play with no matter what your age is. His Zamor Launcher can shoot semi-automatically, and they go pretty far. Just try not to hit anyone. A con to his Zamor clip is that the top sphere can fall out easily. Try not to move it to much or put it in an awkward position. Other than that, the Zamors will stay where they should.
The light up the sword is surprisingly bright in darkness. You can even see it well in daylight. It’s a great feature added to Jaller. The good thing is that the batteries are replaceable, so no more ordering replacement parts from Lego! I’m sure you’ll love this addition.
OVERALL
Here's where it all boils down to whether the model is worth your money and time or not.
Despite the price, Jaller is a fun and cool toy. He is very posable, having 13 points in articulation. With his Zamor Magazine and Energized Flame Sword, this is one of the best Bionicle sets ever. Stop by your local toy store or online shop that sells Bionicle and pick one up. You don’t have to buy all of them like I did, but having just one Inika is plenty of fun. Get one; you won’t regret your decision.
And there he is, Toa Jaller in a nutshell, err, a lengthy, fully-illustrated review. I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse of the new Inika; be sure to thank Darnzerf for rushing out and ordering him and getting the review done so quickly for you guys. Keep checking back for our continued Toa Inika coverage, as well as the completion of our other 2006 set reviews!
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